With Shas, UTJ, and Kulanu On Board, How Can Netanyahu Finalize Gov’t?

With coalition negotiations with United Torah Judaism in their final stages, and Shas and Kulanu not far behind, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu may be on the verge of forming his fourth Likud-led government.

Netanyahu and Kulanu Chairman Moshe Kahlon met for three hours on Sunday night, bringing Likud and Kulanu “closer” to a coalition deal, sources said.

According to sources, all core issues were dealt with and no major differences between the two parties remain, Channel Two reported. Kulanu will receive the finance and housing portfolios, but will forego the chairmanship of the Finance Committee.

One lingering problem is that of the leadership of the Interior Ministry’s Planning Committee which both Shas chair Aryeh Deri and Kahlon have been vying for for their parties.

Deri may agree to give this position to a Kulanu MK, for which he is likely to be rewarded with a deputy minister’s position in the Treasury, Likud sources said. Sources close to the Kulanu talks agreed that the problem was a minor one and a solution was available. Read more at Arutz Sheva.

{Matzav.com Israel}